A Warrior's Christmas Carol
by gamer4
Summary: When Tigerstar loses sight of what Christmas really means, he is visited by spirits in the night. Based on Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Rated for later chapters.
1. Thistleclaw

Gamer4 in. Well, it's that time of year again. Welcome to my version of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. (Yeah, I know, original, right?) Anyways, this will tell the story from the point of view of the cats in the Warriors series. I should warn you that this will have a bit of cats acting out of character, in the spirit of fitting the two stories together. There will also be some things that contradict the canon Warriors. (Like Tigerstar not only being alive, but not being evil.) Hopefully, this won't stop you from enjoying it.

Disclaimer: I own neither Warriors or A Christmas Carol.

A Warriors Christmas Carol

Prologue

Thistleclaw

Bluestar led her cats over a hill. Most followed joyfully: it was Christmas Eve, after all, and gatherings were always the best around Christmastime. It was the one time of year that it was almost a one-hundred percent guarantee that there would be no breaking of the truce, and even the most cold-hearted warriors seemed to warm up to the apprentices that would start playing around fourtrees. It was undeniably a magical time of year.

Indeed, only one warrior seemed unhappy as they walked down towards the place; Tigerclaw hadn't enjoyed the holiday in a _long _time. Tonight was even worse: his mentor, Thistleclaw, was in the medicine den with Spottedleaf, sick with Whitecough. Spottedleaf was struggling to keep him alive.

The gathering passed as most Christmastime gatherings did: the apprentices, even from different clans, started playing games with each other, in ways they definitely wouldn't be able to at any other time of the year. The elders didn't even seem to mind: they were exchanging stories, laughing and not even caring when an apprentice or two accidentally fell between them. Indeed, this would cause them to purr with amusement. The four leaders stood watching the scene, knowing they had to start eventually, but unwilling to force them to end a tradition that only happened once a year. Even Bluestar and Brokenstar seemed to be getting along, enough at least.

Tigerclaw, as he always did, stood to the sidelines, watching, but feeling nothing.

Finally, after much longer than normal, the four leaders called the gathering to order, and began speaking. A couple even had the generosity to wish the others a Merry Christmas.

After they had all shared their news, they jumped down to lead their clans back to camp. Bluestar yowled for Thunderclan to follow her. Tigerclaw, not at all sorry to turn his tail on Fourtrees, followed them.

He knew, even as he stepped into camp, that something was wrong. Spottedleaf stood near the center of the camp, looking at them sadly. It took Tigerclaw a second to realize what this meant. Spottedleaf motioned with her tail for Bluestar and Tigerclaw to follow her. She led them into the medicine den. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said to them. They looked behind her. There, laying down, and clearly dead, was Thistleclaw. "It turned to greencough earlier today. I didn't want to tell you on Christmas Eve. I thought I might be able to treat him, but he died while you were at the gathering."

Tigerclaw stepped forward and touched his old mentor with his nose. There was no denying it, he was dead.

"This can't be easy on you, Tigerclaw," Spottedleaf said, moving forward.

"It doesn't matter now," Tigerclaw said, looking at his old mentor's face. "He's as dead as dirt."

"Or as dead as fresh-kill," came a joking voice from the doorway. "What's going on?"

They turned to see Longtail in the entrance. His smile vanished as he saw Thistleclaw's body lying on the ground. "How-?" he stuttered.

"Greencough," Tigerclaw said, stepping out. "I need some air."

Outside, he left the camp, dragging the weight of what had happened with him. Once outside the camp, when he felt secure, he allowed a single tear to go down his face.

Well, that's all for now. So, what did you think? Please R&R, constructive criticism appreciated, flames are bad, though. Gamer4 out.


	2. Several Years Later

Gamer4 in. Well, I have nothing to say.

Disclaimer: I don't think I've gained control of either Warriors or A Christmas Carol since last chapter.

Chapter I

Several Years Later

Tigerstar opened his eyes. It was Christmas Eve. Hurrah. Another chance for the clans to try and take advantage of his clan. He slid out of the leader's den and looked around the hollow. His deputy, Fireheart, was putting together some patrols to find some fresh-kill, mark the borders, etc. Tigerstar grimaced. He had only made that kittypet deputy because he'd received a sign from Starclan. On seeing his leader awake, Fireheart hurried over.

"Tigerstar, I need to talk with you about something," he said, looking at him seriously. Tigerstar sighed.

"Very well," he said. "Make it quick, though. We don't have all day."

They headed into Tigerstar's den. Fireheart, on entering, turned to face him.

"What is it?" Tigerstar demanded.

"Well, Tigerstar, the thing is, tomorrow's Christmas, which I'm pretty sure you know, and the clan- including me, for that matter,- were wondering-"

"Wondering what?" Tigerstar cut his deputy off. "If you could laze around all day tomorrow, with no thought for consequences of inaction?"

"'Consequences of inaction?'" Fireheart repeated, looking stunned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that, just because our clan thinks it's okay to slack off just because of this idiotic holiday doesn't mean the other clans think that way. We've been having trouble with Windclan, in case you haven't noticed, and I've never trusted Shadowclan."

"But they celebrate Christmas too," Fireheart insisted. "Even Blackstar is humbled by a holiday like this one."

Tigerstar opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a loud, singing voice. They turned to face the source. "Starclan rest ye, merry gentlecats, let nothing you dismay!"

Tigerstar felt exasperated as he recognized the voice. Sure enough, it was his nephew, Brambleclaw, that jumped into the den, still singing at the top of his voice. "Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh, tidings of comfort and joy! Merry Christmas, you two!"

"Merry Christmas!" Fireheart said, looking at his friend.

"'Merry Christmas?'" Tigerstar asked, looking at Brambleclaw in wonder. "What right do _you, _of all cats, have to be merry about anything?"

"Well, what do _you, _of all cats, have to be angry about?" Brambleclaw retorted. "It's Christmas, Tigerstar!"

"Christmas is just another day for the Clans to sit around, neglecting their duties! At best!" Tigerstar shouted. "At worst, it's an opportunity for the clans to take prey freely! I can't think of a day to be _less _happy!"

Brambleclaw looked at his uncle in astonishment. "You never fail to amaze me, Tigerstar."

"What did you come here for, anyway?" Tigerstar demanded.

"Well, me and some warriors from all the clans are going to throw a bit of a party in the abandoned twoleg den, and I wanted to invite you to come."

Tigerstar looked at his nephew, who's eyes were shining with hope, and felt no remorse in breaking his spirit (that was nearly impossible to do anyways) by saying, "I refuse to get any more involved with this holiday than is necessary. Leave me."

Brambleclaw turned to Fireheart. "What about you, buddy?"

"Sorry, Brambleclaw, but I've already made plans to be somewhere else on Christmas. Me and some others are going to have a dinner over at where Daisy used to live."

"Okay, I'll get out," Brambleclaw said, stepping out.

Tigerstar rounded on Fireheart, who looked a little unnerved. "Very well. If you get out of my den _now, _I'll let you all have half the day off of work tomorrow, for your little parties. But I'll want you up and moving all the earlier the next day."

"Thank you, Tigerstar," Fireheart said, bowing his head. "I'll go tell the clan."

As Fireheart turned to leave, Tigerstar once again left his den. He had barely made it out when he scented something that didn't belong. _Windclan! _He turned toward the entrance to the hollow, where Dustpelt and Thornclaw were coming into camp with two Windclan warriors between them: Crowfeather and Ashfoot.

"They want to speak to you," Dustpelt said, allowing them by.

Tigerstar looked at them. "And what do _you _want?" he growled.

"Windclan is going through some hard times," Crowfeather said, looking up at him. "Our prey is becoming scarcer than ever, and our kits may be starving. We want to borrow some fresh-kill, even if it's not much."

There was the quiet hint of a plea in his voice. Tigerstar felt anger surge through him. Here was proof of what he'd been saying about Christmas! Windclan hadn't thought to hunt for themselves, and now they were trying to take prey from _his _clan!

"If I can speak," said Thornclaw's voice. "I think we should give them some. We definitely have a surplus, and if it's true that kits are starving-"

"No," Growled Tigerstar. "You won't take any of our prey."

"Please!" Ashfoot said, looking up at him. "We need this!"

Tigerstar, stepping forward, smelled the scent of milk coming from her. This explained a little bit, at least. Her kits were among those who could die. However, if their clan had chosen not to hunt, that wasn't Tigerstar's business.

"Leave this camp," he growled.

"We can trade you!" Ashfoot cried desperately. "If you need herbs, we can provide them, we've had absolutely no shortage of those!"

"OUT!" Tigerstar bellowed. "GET OUT OF MY CAMP!"

Dustpelt and Thornclaw walked forward, and gently moved them toward the exit. As they left, Tigerstar thought he could hear Ashfoot crying a little. Still filled with anger, he left the camp to hunt.

As he came back, carrying a sparrow and a rabbit, he heard another voice as he approached the camp. It wasn't a voice he recognized, however. As he approached, he realized it was the voice of a kit, or at least a young apprentice. However, it wasn't from the clans. Right now, it was singing at the entrance. "Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright!"

It was a nice voice, but Tigerstar wasn't enchanted. He walked right up to the cat, and, glaring down at it, growled, "What are you doing here?"

The kit jerked around, but smiled as he looked up at Tigerstar, obviously not noticing the anger. The cat was pure black, aside from a single white paw. "Me and my brother and sister live in the twoleg den across the lake!" he said. "Right now, my sister is sick, and we need some medicine to help her! Could you please spare some-"

"No!" Tigerstar said. Why was it that everyone considered Christmas a time to mooch off of Thunderclan?

"But," the kit said, it's smile faltering, "if she doesn't get medicine, she might-"

"I don't care!" Tigerstar said, unsheathing his claws. "Get off this territory!"

The kit jumped back as Tigerstar raised a claw. Eyes widening in fear, the kit ran away, not looking back once. Tigerstar, still feeling anger, picked up his fresh-kill again, and walked into camp.

Well, that's all for now. Please R&R, constructive criticism is not only fine but welcomed with open arms, flames are bad. Gamer4 out.


	3. Thistleclaw's Return

Gamer4 in. Absolutely nothing to say here.

Disclaimer: I don't think I own Warriors, and I _know _I don't own A Christmas Carol.

Chapter II

Thistleclaw's Return

Several hours later, Tigerstar walked back into camp, having just led a satisfying patrol around the territory. For all that had happened earlier, it seemed the clans had, for once, been minding the boundaries. The sun had gone down as they had been out there. On entering the camp, Tigerstar picked up a mouse for himself, and carried over, away from the rest of the clan, who, fools as they were, were talking excitedly about the next day.

Sighing, he sat down with his mouse. Was he the _only _one who understood what this holiday truly was?

Shaking these thoughts out of his head, he bent to eat his mouse. Suddenly, something happened that stopped him.

As he bent down, the mouse's face began to change. The ears changed shape, the snout shrunk a little, and the fur changed color. It became the face of a cat, but a cat unlike any Tigerstar had seen before. It looked up at him, pale, and slightly transparent, and muttered, "Tigerstar," in a voice that chilled the leader's blood. In shock, he stepped backwards, into the wall around the camp. He turned to see if there was anywhere else to go. Looking back quickly, he saw, to both his relief and curiosity, that the mouse was back to normal.

Though the mouse was normal, he didn't feel hungry anymore. He returned it to the pile, and, looking around a little nervously, he headed toward his den.

The face had unnerved him. The strangest thing was, he had felt like he knew it from somewhere, though he couldn't put his paw on it. Trying to put the face out of mind, he stepped into his den. He had never been so glad for the brambles he had gotten that covered the entrance from unwanted visitors. As he nervously settled himself into his den, he heard rustling. Looking up, he saw the brambles shaking like a violent wind was passing through them. That didn't make sense, it was a still night, it had been before he'd walked in.

They began to rustle more and more violently. Tigerstar curled up against it, and yet he felt no more wind then when he'd been outside.

Suddenly, it stopped. Looking up slowly, he saw that the brambles had stopped moving. They were just as still as when he'd first walked in. Tigerstar slowly began to calm himself. He must have eaten some bad fresh-kill that day. He'd have to talk to the clan about that tomorrow.

No sooner had he thought this that he heard something. A dragging sound, mixed with the sounds of pawsteps. It sounded like a cat was dragging something incredibly heavy across the clearing. Tigerstar recoiled into the den: it seemed too strange that no other cat had noticed the noise yet.

Suddenly, the noise stopped. Tigerstar had just started calming himself when something incredible happened: a paw stepped through the brambles- literally _through _them- followed by the face, body, back paws, and tail of a cat.

There were several things Tigerstar immediately noticed about this cat. First, it had just come through the brambles, as though they weren't there. He also noticed that the face of the cat was the same that had just been looking at him from that mouse: he even felt that same strange sense of familiarity. The body of the cat looked as though he had been traveling for a long time: the pelt was ragged, and his face had a strange, dead look on them, a look that was never seen on a Starclan warrior. The final realization was also the largest: trailing from the cat were several heavy-looking things that looked like they were made by twolegs. They were attached to weights the cat was dragging with him: apparently, this was what had been making that dragging sound.

"What do you want with me?" Tigerstar asked, standing his ground, refusing to appear afraid.

"A lot," the cat said, still in that voice he had used when appearing from the mouse. "Don't you recognize me, Tigerstar?"

"Who are you?" Tigerstar demanded.

"Ask me who I _was," _the mysterious cat commanded.

"If you want," Tigerstar mumbled, and out loud, said, "Okay, then, who _were _you?"

"When I was alive, I was your mentor, your friend, and your partner."

Suddenly, the familiarity made sense. "This-" he stammered. "Thistleclaw?"

"That was my name," Thistleclaw said, looking around the den.

"What are those things you're wearing, Thistleclaw?" Tigerstar asked, looking at the twoleg-things.

"It is a creation known as a chain," Thistleclaw said, looking sadly at the chain that seemed to wrap around him, tied so he couldn't escape them. "I made this one when I was alive. I made it link- by- link." For each of the last three words, he ran a claw across the links in the chain. "It was made by my cruelty, my neglect, and my own arrogance. My wrongs even resulted in the death of an innocent kit."

Tigerstar was surprised to see Thistleclaw becoming as sad as he was now, seeming to be filled with remorse. "Cruelty? You were a good warrior, loyal to the warrior code!"

"No!" cried Thisleclaw, the remorse now more evident than before. "I attacked an innocent kit that accidentally wandered onto Thunderclan territory, simply for the crime of being a kittypet! If Bluefur hadn't stopped me, I might have killed him! He wasn't even hunting, just wandering! I see why Bluefur felt she had to stop me becoming deputy, and her ambition to stop me from ruining the clan ended up in the death of her kit!"

"If she hadn't been meeting that Riverclan warrior in the first place-"

"Maybe the parents were guilty, but the kits were innocent! I couldn't see past my own prejudice! My evil deeds in life condemn me in death!"

"Is there anything I can do, Thistleclaw?" Tigerstar asked, feeling sympathetic for his old mentor.

"No," Thistleclaw said, looking at him sadly. "My fate is settled. I am doomed to walk this world until the end of all time! You cannot help me, Tigerstar. But I didn't come here to tell you about my own misfortunes. I came here to tell you about _yours."_

"Mine?" Tigerstar asked, feeling a small amount of fear somewhere inside him.

"Yes," Thistleclaw said, looking at him critically. "_Your _chain was as long as this-" he shook his chains for emphasis- "when _I _died, all those moons ago. Imagine how long they are now, after all the time that has passed. You are doomed to my fate, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar felt a rush of fear inside him. "Do you have any comfort for me, Thistleclaw?"

"Not much," Thistleclaw admitted. "I have managed to get you one last chance for redemption."

"What is that?" Tigerstar asked, looking at his old friend desperately.

"Tonight, you will be haunted by three spirits. Listen to what they say, pay attention to what they show you, because it's vital to you making it to Starclan."

"Is this my only hope?" Tigerstar asked.

"Yes," Thistleclaw nodded. "Without it, you have no chance of escaping my fate."

A chain moved forward and wrapped around Tigerstar. He felt his stomach jolt as he noticed it. Thistleclaw headed towards the entrance to his den, and dragged Tigerstar with him. Tigerstar felt a rush of fear as he realized that he was rising off of the ground. Thistleclaw was taking him through the brambles, and up towards the sky. Tigerstar gasped at what he saw.

In the area around the lake, there were a great number of cats. Not normal cats, like he was used to, but ones like Thistleclaw, partly transparent and wrapped in chains. Most were over the island. Thistleclaw was heading across the lake. Over the Riverclan camp, Tigerstar, who was currently clinging on to the chain for dear life, realized that he recognized a couple of these cats, too. He saw Darkstripe and Brokenstar, for one. As he watched, Darkstripe leaned forward, towards one of the warriors, who seemed sick.

"We try to do good in our afterlives," Thistleclaw muttered in his old apprentice's ear. "But we lost the power when we died."

As Thistleclaw said this, Tigerstar saw Darkstripe's paws begin to dissolve, so close to a living, breathing pelt. Looking sadly back, Darkstripe floated away, towards the group of ghost-cats on the island. Thistleclaw began taking Tigerstar back to his own territory. "We must live with our guilt, and carry our chains, until this world is gone. We can no longer help our old clans. _That _is our punishment. Why I can help you, I don't know, but this is your only chance to escape this fate."

They arrived back in Tigerstar's den. "I have to leave now," Thistleclaw said, looking at him. "I can't stay anywhere for too long. But, Tigerstar, for your own sake, remember what I told you."

"I will," Tigerstar said, in a brave attempt at his usual attitude. Thistleclaw rose into the air once again, passed through the brambles, and vanished.

And that's all for now. Please R&R, constructive criticism appreciated, flames are bad. Gamer4 out.


	4. Christmas Past

Gamer4 in. Well, I have nothing to say here.

Disclaimer: I have yet to own either of the stories.

Chapter III

Christmas Past

Needless to say, it took Tigerstar a while to fall asleep that night. He tossed and turned, imagining what it must be like to carry those chains until the world stopped. Finally, he settled into an uneasy sleep. Therefore, he didn't notice the cat that was padding across camp. None of the other cats noticed it. It was completely silent, and all the cats were asleep by this point anyways.

The cat padded towards Tigerstar's den, and, just like Thistleclaw, passed through the bramble barrier like it didn't exist. Suddenly, the cat started to shine with an almost impossibly bright light.

Tigerstar jerked awake. He looked at the light, and looked away almost immediately. It was too bright to look at directly. "Are you the spirit Thistleclaw warned me about?" Tigerstar asked.

"I am," said a tom's voice from somewhere in the light.

"Will you turn your light off?" Tigerstar asked, still unable to look at the cat directly.

The light didn't go off completely, but it dimmed enough for Tigerstar to see the cat directly, even if it was still glowing a little. The cat had gray fur, and looked at him without any expression on his face.

"Who are you?" Tigerstar asked.

"An interesting question," the tom said. "I am the Spirit of Christmas Past. Though, if you were to give me an actual name, I guess you'd call me Graystripe."

"What brings you here, Graystripe?" Tigerstar asked, looking at the spirit nervously.

"Your welfare," Graystripe answered simply.

"Well, I don't want to be rude, but I think a night of sleep would be a lot better for that," Tigerstar said.

Graystripe was thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Well, your salvation, then."

"What do you want from me?" Tigerstar asked.

"Not much. Follow me," Graystripe said, motioning with his tail towards the entrance of the den. Tigerstar reluctantly followed. As he pushed aside the brambles, he gasped as he saw, not the camp, but the twolegplace that had been next to the old forest. Looking behind him, he saw that the brambles had disappeared. They were on the edge. Behind them was the forest. Looking in the forest, he saw some familiar faces lurking just in the trees. He realized it was a Thunderclan border patrol. "Do you recognize this place?" Graystripe asked him.

"Of course I do!" Tigerstar said, looking at the patrol. "That's Lionheart, over there! And he's with Redtail!" Tigerstar looked back at Graystripe. "They look like apprentices, though. How far back are we?"

"Far enough," Graystripe answered simply. "And do you know this place?"

As Tigerstar turned again, the land changed. They were further into Twolegplace. Tigerstar suddenly found himself looking at a twoleg nest he knew very well. "Yes, I know this place," Tigerstar answered. Graystripe started towards the nest, and motioned for Tigerstar to follow. He stepped through the door. Tigerstar, after a second of hesitation, followed.

He found himself inside. Graystripe, seeing him inside, motioned towards a chair against a window. Tigerstar looked, and felt his stomach give a small lurch.

A cat was looking out the window. It was a young dark tabby tom. It looked young enough to have just been apprenticed, if it was in the clans. "You ran away?" Graystripe asked, looking at Tigerstar.

"I wasn't wanted," Tigerstar said. The cat was clearly sad as it looked out the window. "Goosefeather- he was the medicine cat at the time- had made a prophecy that I would fall to darkness. The clans believed it so thoroughly that they drove me out, only a quarter moon after I was apprenticed. But I never stopped wanting to go back."

Graystripe looked thoughtful again. "Let's look at another Christmas, shall we?" he asked. Tigerstar, who wasn't eager to spend more time here than he needed to, nodded. There was a great flash of light, and when Tigerstar could see again, it looked like a few moons had passed. The cat was still looking out the window, but he looked older than he had before. The twolegs didn't seem to be there: there was no noise in the house.

Suddenly, a noise echoed through the house. Into the room ran another cat, and Tigerstar knew this one too. "Goldenflower!" he said, looking at his sister bounding across the room. She still looked like a 'paw, and she looked very happy about something. The cat looking out the window turned, and happiness spread across his face as he saw the she-cat coming towards him.

"Tigerpaw!" she said happily, looking up at him.

"What is it, Goldenpaw?" Tigerpaw asked, looking at his sister.

"You can come back home!" Goldenpaw said, looking delighted about it. "Pinestar retired, and now Sunstar is leader, and he says you can come back!"

"Really?" Tigerpaw said, perking up.

"Yes! He sent me here to get you, so we can go home!"

Tigerpaw, without wasting any time, jumped down from his perch, and the two apprentices raced each other out the door.

A moment passed, and finally, Graystripe spoke. "You loved her a lot, didn't you?"

"Yes," Tigerstar said, looking at him.

"She was a great cat," Graystripe said. "Unfortunately, she didn't survive giving birth to her kit, did she?"

Tigerstar looked sadly at where the two cats had left the building. "It's true," he said. "She had only one kit, and she died to give him life."

"His name's Brambleclaw, I believe?" Graystripe asked.

"Yes," Tigerstar said. Looking back at Graystripe, he said, "Well, we're losing time. Continue."

Graystripe motioned for Tigerstar to follow. They left into the twolegplace, and suddenly, they were back in the forest. More specifically, they were in the Thunderclan camp. Tigerstar turned, and saw a blue cat stepping up onto the highrock. "It's Bluestar!" he said. "Bluestar, alive again! She was the best leaders we could have had!"

As Tigerstar finished speaking, Bluestar called out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highrock for a clan meeting!"

Cats began to gather beneath them, and Graystripe motioned that they should do the same.

Once everyone was gathered, Bluestar called out, "As you all know, it is Christmas tomorrow!"

There were some cheers from the cats at these words. Bluestar waited for them to die before continuing on. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's begin celebrating!"

As all the cats started breaking up and preparing the celebrations, Graystripe and Tigerstar walked away from them, and found a cat sneaking away from the camp. It was none other than Tigerstar, back when he had been a warrior. Bluestar, spotting him, bounded over. "Tigerclaw, where are you going?" she asked.

"Oh, I just made some... well... arrangements," Tigerclaw said.

Bluestar looked like she knew exactly what kind of arrangements they were. But this didn't make here stop him. "Well, don't let me hold you up!" she said brightly, running back to the camp.

Tigerclaw slunk away through the branches, with Tigerstar and Graystripe following. Finally, they arrived in Tallpines. Tigerstar thought he knew what this was about. He waited, and suddenly, from the bushes came a she-cat, who looked right at Tigerclaw. "Sasha," Tigerclaw said, purring as he moved towards her.

"How is the prey running?" Sasha asked.

"Great," Tigerclaw said, looking at her happily. "It's Christmas tomorrow, after all."

"Yes it is," she said. "Do you want to celebrate?"

"We're having a party back at the clans. I don't think they'd object with Christmas right around the corner."

"Do _you _object to a rouge going into your camp?" Sasha asked.

"Why would I?" Tigerclaw said, and they moved off together.

Tigerstar watched as everything started shifting again. Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling about what was coming next. Sure enough, when everything reformed, they were standing in fourtrees. A much older Tigerclaw and Sasha were standing in the clearing. "Please, no, Graystripe," Tigerstar asked.

"I'm sorry, but we must see this," Graystripe said, motioning for them to move closer.

Sasha was speaking. "I know you loved me, Tigerclaw. But I can't be sure anymore."

"Of course I do," Tigerclaw said, looking at her.

"Do you?" Sasha asked. "I know you wish to be leader of your clan, and I understand why the idea would be appealing. But could the leader of the clan be happy with a mate who has no clan blood, even if she was allowed to join?"

Tigerclaw looked at her in astonishment. Sasha waited for him to speak again, then spoke herself. "Could he?" she pressed. "Would you, a pureblooded warrior, on the brink of becoming leader, ever accept a rouge as a mate?"

"Of course I could accept you," Tigerclaw said, though he didn't sound sure. When Sasha spoke again, it was clear she'd noticed.

"Really?" she asked. "A long time ago, I would have believed you right away, but now, I can't. Not when lately, you've become so obsessed with pure blood. Could you really ignore any sign the clans gave of disapproving a mating with a rogue? If you can't, if pure blood and ambition matters more than anything else, than I need to leave you."

For a while, neither of the cats spoke. Tigerstar, who already knew how this would end, was silently begging for it to change, for his past self to say something.

Finally, Sasha broke the silence. "I thought so," she said, and began to walk away. Tigerstar was in agony by this point.

"Say something!" he said to his past counterpart. "Go after her!"

But nothing happened, and he watched as Sasha disappeared. Tigerstar rounded on Graystripe. "Don't show me anything else," he demanded. "Send me home."

"If you want, Tigerstar," Graystripe said. "Just remember one thing. All these memories were made by your own paws." As he spoke, his voice started echoing, and the world seemed to dissolve around Tigerstar, until he found himself alone in his bed again.

And that's all for now. Thanks to the one person who's reviewed, and the two people who've alerted this story. Every bit of support helps. Please R&R, flames are bad, but any constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms. Gamer4 out.


	5. Christmas Present

Gamer4 in. And, nothing to say here.

Disclaimer: You already know.

Chapter IV

Christmas Present

For a second, Tigerstar was shocked. Then, sadness started coming up on him. How could he have been such a mouse-brain? He'd pushed away the she-cat that he'd loved, over a matter of blood!

For a moment, he grieved in silence. Eventually, he managed to pull himself together. Calming down, he lay down to sleep again.

Suddenly, another light filled his den. He jerked up, wondering if Graystripe had come back. But that couldn't be right: Graystripe's light had been white, and extremely bright, while this light was yellow, and a lot dimmer. Turning, he saw a sphere of the light hovering in front of him. As he looked at it, it began floating away. Tigerstar, wondering what was going to happen this time, followed, a little nervously.

As he approached the entrance to the camp, a voice spoke. "Well, what are you waiting for, Tigerstar? Come out here, get to know me better, cat!"

Tigerstar, still cautious, stepped out of the camp. He turned and gasped at what he saw.

A little away from the camp, there was enough food to feed all the clans for several moons to come. It wasn't all fresh-kill, either. There were things like honey, and berries that would be nice to eat more often, but were medicine, and yet there were enough here to cure whatever sickness came, have some for the taste, and have enough to cure sickness again! There was an indentation in the ground, where a liquid he wasn't familiar with lay. In the center of all this was the cat that had spoken: a black-furred she-cat.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Christmas?" She gave a small laugh. "Come, and get to know me better!"

"Who are you?" Tigerstar asked, stepping forward.

"My name is Yellowfang," she said. "I am the Spirit of Christmas Present. Maybe you know my littermates?"

"I'm not sure I do," Tigerstar admitted. "How many do you have?"

"One for every Christmas that's passed. So, quite a few."

"A large family to look after, then?"

Yellowfang didn't look happy thinking about it. Finally, she said, "Well, yes."

"What's this?" Tigerstar asked, indicating the liquid in the puddle.

Yellowfang looked at him. "It's the milk of kindness, something you've been denying your fellow cats for a very long time. Take a drink."

Tigerstar looked at her. "Why?"

"Why not?" Yellowfang countered. "You don't have to drink, but I'm giving you the chance."

Tigerstar moved forward slowly, and started to drink from the puddle.

He gasped. It was the most wonderful thing he'd ever tasted: better than his first mouse, or water on a hot day, or anything else. He looked up at Yellowfang. "It's great," he said.

"Why have you been refusing to share this with your clanmates, or the other clans, or even rogues and loners?" Yellowfang asked. She didn't sound threatening, it was just a question.

"Why should I?"

"Because, you are offered it several times. Not only do you not allow others to have it, you also deny it yourself."

"Who offers me kindness of any kind?" Tigerstar asked, looking at her, slightly angry.

"More cats than you know," Yellowfang said. "Come on, we have a lot to see before we run out of time."

"What do you want me to do?" Tigerstar asked.

"Touch my fur," Yellowfang said, looking at him. Wondering what this was about, Tigerstar moved forward and brushed up against Yellowfang.

Suddenly, he found himself in front of a place he knew very well. He looked up at the abandoned twoleg nest that lay at the edge of Thunderclan territory. There were the sounds of a party going on inside. Yellowfang moved towards the entrance, motioning for Tigerstar to follow. Wondering what this was about, Tigerstar followed.

Inside, he saw a group of cats. They had some food that must have been provided by all four of the clans; there were mixed scents on them. There were also things there that couldn't normally be spared, like catmint, and some berries. As he watched, he suddenly recognized Brambleclaw among the cats. He was standing up and moving towards the center of the den. "Anyone want to play 20 Questions?" he asked. Several of the cats gave small cheers. "Right! I've got a good one, I'll go first."

"Of course _Thunder _goes first!" called out a voice Tigerstar recognized: Blackstar. However, there wasn't any hostility in his voice: he was joking this time. Tigerstar had never heard Blackstar make a joke before...

"Says the shadow-dweller," said Brambleclaw, though he sounded like he was kidding too. "Okay, anyone want to take a guess?"

"Is it alive?" came a voice from the other end of the room. Tigerstar recognized this one too: Stonefur, from Riverclan.

"Arguably," Brambleclaw said, his eyes glinting with humor.

"I mean, does it have a heart?"

"Literally or figuratively?"

"Literally."

"Yes, it does."

"Is it a cat?" That was Onestar, from Windclan.

"In the loosest possible sense of the word," Brambleclaw answered, still with that gleam in his eyes.

"Is it real?" Russetfur, Shadowclan.

"It's not _not _real," Brambleclaw answered, to a few scattered laughs.

"Is it likeable?" Tigerstar recognized Longtail, from his own clan this time.

"It depends on your point of view, of course, but for the most part, and usually, no."

"I think I've got it!" called out Tigerheart, another Shadowclan cat. "Is it in Thunderclan?"

"Yes!" Brambleclaw said. Tigerstar suddenly felt like he knew what it was. And sure enough...

"It's Tigerstar, isn't it?" Flametail shouted out.

"And the shadow-dweller gets it!" Brambleclaw called out.

"Well, I don't know what you mean by, 'It depends on your point of view,'" Leopardstar called. "He's the least likeable clan cat I've ever known!"

Tigerstar felt a jolt in his stomach, hearing someone talking about him like that. How many cats thought it?

"Well, from some points of view, like mine, we should feel sorry for him," Brambleclaw answered. Tigerstar felt some affection for his nephew. He was defending him, even after earlier.

"I don't know where you get off saying that, Brambleclaw," Crowfeather said from one corner of the room. "Why should we feel sorry for that mouse dung?"

"Because," Brambleclaw said, looking over at him, "at the end of the day, who really suffers because of his arrogance, his complete inability to trust anyone other than himself, and his cruelty? He does. Because of it, he rarely, if ever, knew love or friendship, and anyone who has to go through life without that deserves pity."

"Are you making excuses for him?" called out Thornclaw.

"No, he _has _done terrible things," Brambleclaw admitted. "I'm just saying that, when you really think about it, he suffers because of it just as much, if not _more, _than the rest of us do."

"Whatever you say, Thunder," Silverstream, another Riverclan cat said.

Yellowfang motioned that it was time for them to leave. Tigerstar followed her out. As they left, Tigerstar heard a cat talking to Flametail. "Hey, Flametail, do you want to go out on the ice later?"

"Are you kidding? That's begging for an early death." **(1)**

Once outside, Yellowfang turned to Tigerstar. "He cares for you," she said.

"He does," Tigerstar agreed. "I never realized how much until now, but..." He shook his head. "I sometimes forget that he's Goldenflower's kit."

"You shouldn't," Yellowfang said, looking at him. "You should have accepted his invitation, for Goldenflower's sake, if not for his."

"I know," Tigerstar said, looking at the ground. "Is there anything else you have to show me?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yes," she said, and turned and walked again. Tigerstar followed. After a flash of light, he looked around to find himself in front of a twoleg nest that seemed to be on the opposite end of the lake. He heard voices coming out of it. Yellowfang was already at the door. He bounded towards her.

On entering, he could make out what was being said. "Tiny, do you think I'm going to make it?"

"You are. You have to!" That voice sounded familiar...

Entering the room with the voices, he saw why it did. It belonged to a young cat- a kit most likely, or at least the right age to be a young apprentice- with black fur, except for one white paw. The cat he'd threatened earlier. He was with two other cats. "And what do you think, Socks?" said a she-cat lying on the floor. She didn't look good.

"I tried to get some herbs from that group of cats on the moor," said a tom that seemed to be the oldest of the three there. "They didn't have the herbs for whatever you have. The herbs they were using were for greencough."

"At least you tried," said the she-cat. "Tiny?" She sounded a little desperate.

"I went to the cats that live in the forest, near the abandoned nest," Tiny said, looking at her.

"And?"

Tigerstar winced. Tiny looked troubled for a moment, then said, "They didn't have any either."

"Why did he lie to her?" Tigerstar asked Yellowfang.

"Because he loves her more than you can imagine," Yellowfang said, looking at him. "He doesn't know if she's going to live, but if she doesn't pull through, he doesn't want her to die with her faith shattered. Their family is built on faith in the kindness of others, and themselves. Tiny doesn't want to ruin that idea by telling her that he was chased away by a cat who refused to help his dying sister. It would be like your medicine cat telling everyone that there's no Starclan."

Tigerstar looked at Tiny, who looked miserable at the idea that his sister might die. "_Is _she going to die?"

"Why should you care? You're the pure-blooded leader of a clan! What right do lowly, mud-blooded creatures have to ask you or your clan for help?" Tigerstar felt a pang of shame in his stomach. "Tigerstar, when you die, you may discover in the afterlife that those creatures of dirt's lives matter more than your own, when you live in bitterness, while they know the joy of love and friendship. Can _you _say the same?"

The she-cat on the floor suddenly spoke. "Hey, how about a song, Tiny? You're the best singer here."

"Well, if you insist, Ruby," said Tiny, looking happy for a chance to lighten the mood. He sat where he was, and started to sing. "The first Noel, the angels did say-"

Suddenly, everything was dissolving around them. Tiny's voice started changing along with their surroundings, until they were standing in the Riverclan camp, with Mistyfoot, the deputy, singing to the kits. "-was to certain poor loners in fields as they lay-"

And it was happening again. The voice changed, their surroundings reformed, until they were watching Rowanclaw sing in Shadowclan. "-In fields where they lay, keeping their feet-"

And next they were seeing Dustpelt and Thornclaw, of all cats, singing in Thunderclan! "On a cold leafbare's night that was so deep-"

Tigerstar thought he knew what was coming next. Sure enough, they were now in Windclan. This time, Ashfoot was singing. "Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the king of the four clans-" **(2)**

Tigerstar found himself going through space again, which confused him. Who else was there? But still, the voice kept on singing. Suddenly, they dropped into the horseplace. Somehow, the horses weren't there. But there were a group of cats, including a cat he recognized as Sandstorm, Fireheart's mate. She was the one singing: "Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the king of the four clans!"

She finished the song and turned to the others around the table: four she-cats and two toms. "Cloudtail, where's your uncle?"

"Probably still at the daylight gathering," Cloudtail, a white tom. Tigerstar knew what that was about. Some of the cats celebrated part of the day at a daylight gathering on the island. He'd never been there himself. Suddenly, a third she-cat burst in: completely black.

"He's coming, he's coming!" she said.

Sandstorm turned to two of the other she-cats. "Dovepaw, Ivypaw, go hide," she said, motioning to the door of the twoleg den.

As the two ran in, Fireheart himself came into the place, with another tom leaning against him. As he looked around, the new tom, a golden-furred cat that Tigerstar recognized as Lionpaw, Fireheart's son, sat by himself. A tom Tigerstar recognized as Jaypaw leapt towards him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Just fine," Lionpaw said. "I wish you'd stop asking, mouse-brain." But he didn't sound like he was trying to sound insulting, and Jaypaw gave a small laugh.

"Where's Ivypawl? Dovepaw?" Fireheart asked, looking around.

"Oh, we're sorry, Fireheart, they can't come today," Sandstorm said, managing to look convincing.

"Not... Not coming?" Fireheart asked, looking stunned. "On Christmas?"

Suddenly, the two apprentices leapt on top of him. He fell to the ground, laughing as he wrestled with them. "We got you!" Dovepaw said happily.

"Yeah, I guess you did," Fireheart said, laughing as he pulled himself out from under them.

"How was the gathering?" Leafpool asked.

"It was great," Firehear said, looking at her. "Lionblaze told me, on the way home, that he hoped the clans noticed him, and it would help them remember who made blind cats see, and crippled cats walk."

"I'd like to meet him," Jaypaw said, walking by.

"Nice," Fireheart said, giving a small purr of amusement. "He said he wanted them to remember Him, and maybe we could be more united during the year."

"Wishful thinking," Squirrelflight said. "I'd like it too, but it's a little too unlikely."

Tigerstar turned to Yellowfang. "What's wrong with Lionpaw?"

Yellowfang, turning to him, said, "A lot, I'm afraid to say."

"Will he make it?"

"If he dies because the medicine cat was slacking off around Christmas, what does it matter to you?" Yellowfang asked sharply. Tigerstar recoiled, but she softened. "He is seriously sick. Windclan is the only clan that has medicine for him, but you turned them away. If nothing is changed, I see an empty den where Lionpaw once slept, and three siblings taken down to two."

Suddenly, tigerstar realized that they weren't there anymore. It was night again, and they were on the island. He realized that Yellowfang suddenly looked a lot older than she had earlier. "I don't mean to be rude," he said, "but you've aged a lot since you took me out of camp. Are spirit's lives unusually short?"

"The lives of me and my littermates are," Yellowfang said. "We last only as long as the holiday. I will die at midnight."

Tigerstar thought he saw something behind Yellowfang. "I don't want to pry, but is there something behind you?"

"There could be," Yellowfang said, moving aside to reveal the two most repulsive cats Tigerstar had ever seen. They looked about apprentice-age.

"Are these yours, Yellowfang?" Tigerstar asked.

"No, they belong to all the cats of the world. The she-cat is Want, the tom is Ignorance. Beware them both, but the tom especially."

The two started going away. "I must leave now, too," Yellowfang said.

"You're leaving me for the last spirit?" Tigerstar said, getting an ominous feeling.

"Yes. Go, and get to know _him _better, cat," Yellowfang said.

Suddenly, a fierce and savage wind blew into them. Tigerstar had to dig his claws into the ground to stop himself from being blown away. He watched in shock as Yellowfang, still looking at him, began to turn to dust that was blown away by the wind. It started at the tip of her tail, and at her paws, and spread up her, until only her face remained, still looking at him. All at once, she was blown away completely, the wind stopped, and Tigerstar was alone again.

**(1) **I don't mean to offend anyone with this.

**(2) **I know it doesn't really rhyme, but I don't think they've heard of Israel.

And that's all for now. Thanks to everyone supporting this story. Please R&R, constructive criticism appreciated, flames are bad, Gamer4 out.


	6. Christmas Yet to Come

Gamer4 in. I have nothing to say.

Disclaimer: I have yet to own either Warriors or A Christmas Carol.

Chapter V

Christmas Yet to Come

Tigerstar looked around nervously, waiting for the final spirit to come. Suddenly, a movement caught his eye near the fallen tree. Turning, his eyes fell on a cat coming towards him. The shadows of the night seemed to twist around the cat as it padded towards him, or else the cat was made of darkness itself. Tigerstar couldn't see any clear features of the cat. The only thing he could tell for sure was that it was leaving no pawprints in the snow. Finally, it stood in front of him.

Past and present, Tigerstar was thinking. There could only be one thing that this last cat was...

"Are you the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come?" he asked. The spirit didn't speak, but it's vaguely formed head nodded.

"I'm more afraid of you than I've ever been of anything," Tigerstar said, looking at him. "But I know this is all for my greater good..." Still, the spirit just looked at him. "Will you say anything?" he asked, wondering if spirits were ever struck dumb. The spirit said nothing, but turned and motioned for him to follow. Tigerstar, only slightly comforted that this was the last spirit, whatever he was shown, followed.

As he stepped towards the log, he suddenly found himself in the Shadowclan camp. Looking around, he saw the spirit walking towards the leader's den. He followed.

Inside the leader's den, he saw Blackstar, Russetfur, and Tigerheart speaking to one another. Moving closer, he was able to hear what they were saying.

"-not a nice way to join Starclan, all in all," Tigerheart was saying.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised, struck with such an illness, at such an inconvenient time," Blackstar said.

"Did he die alone?" Russetfur asked, looking at them. "I mean, can we be sure that he wasn't killed by a fox, or something else we should watch for?"

"No, we would know," Blackstar answered. "It was sickness, mark my words. Maybe if he trusted cats more, he would still be with us. Not that everyone was clamoring to help him anyways."

"Speaking of," Tigerheart said, "do you think even his own clan will want to mourn for him?"

"I doubt it," Russetfur said. "They didn't like him any better than we did."

Tigerstar felt sorry for the poor cat that they must be talking about. He felt something touch his back, and jumped around, only to see the spirit motioning him away. He followed. Instead of finding himself in the Shadowclan camp, however, he found himself in his own camp. He heard movement coming from the medicine den. At the spirit's motion, he walked over. Standing to the side of the den, he smelled death coming from inside. The spirit motioned towards the den. He suddenly understood.

"I know what you want me to do," he said, moving towards the den. Suddenly, just as he was close enough that if he took one more step, the body would be in sight, he hesitated. He didn't know why, but he couldn't find it in him to walk in, and look at the cat who had died, and who's death had had no apparent effect even on his own clan. Turning to the spirit, he spoke. "But I can't do it. I would if I could, but I don't have the power."

The spirit still didn't say anything. It just stood, looking at him with eyes he couldn't see. "But I understand," he said, looking back. "This poor cat was as popular as I am, wasn't he?" The spirit still refused to speak. Suddenly wondering if _anyone _had any sympathy besides him, he spoke again. "Is there anyone who feels emotion towards this cat's death?"

Suddenly, they were at Windclan's camp. Onestar was speaking to Mudclaw. "Was Thunderclan willing to spare fresh-kill for our starving kits?"

"Yes, they were, as a matter of fact," Mudclaw said.

"So, that warrior that insisted against it, has he had a change of heart?"

"More than a change. He's dead."

"So they won't starve?"

"No, I don't believe they will."

Onestar smiled. "I never thought, in any of my past lives, that death could bring happiness. It seems I was wrong."

Tigerstar turned back to the spirit. He'd worded his request wrong, that was all. "I mean, spirit, is there any cat that feels tenderness at his death?"

Again, he found himself somewhere else. For the second time that night, he found himself at the horseplace. Fireheart's family was there again. They were a few fox-lengths off. Tigerstar moved forward. "One of Fireheart's parties?" he asked. "They're times of happiness. Thank you for bringing me here." He headed down towards the horseplace.

Arriving there, he felt a very noticeable change from the last time he was there. There were the same cats that had been there when he'd first arrived last time, but they'd been happy then. Now, they looked sad and forlorn. Again, Fireheart and Lionblaze were absent from the group. Suddenly, Fireheart came in, but Lionblaze wasn't with him. Tigerstar suddenly had a bad feeling. Sandstorm spoke first.

"Is he in a good place?" she asked. Looking around, Tigerstar saw that the two who looked saddest were Jaypaw and Hollypaw.

"Yes," Fireheart said, walking in and sitting down next to his nephew. "There's a nice place near the abandoned twolegplace, where those herbs grow. He always... always liked that place." His voice started to break as a tear started down his eye. Cloudtail looked at him sadly. All the others seemed to feel just as miserable. Fireheart finally pulled himself together. "Well," he said, still sounding sad, "I think we can learn from this. Lionpaw was a great cat, and maybe he'll get his dying wish and the clans will feel for his death, and there will be a little less fighting. Let's remember him nicely."

Tigerstar turned. "Please, take me away from here," he asked. Suddenly, they were in an area of Thunderclan where some cats were buried after dying. There was a mound of dirt over where Tigerstar assumed the cat he'd heard about was buried. Turning on the shadow, he spoke. "Please, tell me: are these the shadows of things that _will _be, or the shadows of things that _may _be only?" The spirit still didn't speak. Tigerstar finally gave in to his curiosity. "Who _is _that cat that died?" he asked. "The one buried there?"

The spirit raised its tail and pointed right at Tigerstar.

He felt his stomach vanish. "No, spirit," he said. "Tell me that these things can still be changed! If everything is past hope, then why did the spirits bother with me? If the actions of the cats in the present change, the ends change too, isn't this true?" The spirit still refused to speak. "I can change!" Tigerstar shouted desperately. "I'm not the cat I was yesterday! I will live with the spirit of Christmas in my heart, and keep it for all time! I will accept what the three spirits have shown me, and I won't shun the lessons that they teach! Just let me wipe away the grave on this land!" He turned to look at the dirt, and looked back. As he did, he gasped.

The spirit was no longer just a vaguely defined shadow of a cat. The shadows had taken form. The spirit at first seemed to be the cat that had been singing at the Thunderclan camp earlier, Tiny, but at the same time, it wasn't. This monstrosity had the same color fur, all black with one white paw, but it was wearing a collar with teeth in it. With a jolt, Tigerstar saw that some of the teeth were _cat's. _Dog's claws were attached to it's paws. The monstrosity didn't speak, but the sight was enough to make Tigerstar step backwards involuntarily. Suddenly, another high-force wind whipped through the trees. The cat motioned behind him, and Tigerstar turned to see his body buried a few tail-lengths below the surface. Turning back, he saw the spirit standing only a few inches in front of him. Jumping backwards, he accidentally fell into the grave. A loud cracking sound went through the night, and, still on top of his own body, Tigerstar found himself falling. Looking down, he saw that he was falling towards a gigantic river of fire. He closed his eyes tight, not feeling ready to die, and then...

Please R&R. Flames are bad, constructive criticism is fine, Gamer4 out.


	7. The End

Gamer4 in. Let us begin.

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own either Warriors or A Christmas Carol.

Chapter VI

The End

Tigerstar suddenly sat bolt upright. For a second, he had to close his eyes against a bright light. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes as they adjusted. This wasn't bright light, it was daylight! Looking around, he realized he was back in his den, a little bit away from his den, but it was day again! Jumping up, he looked outside. He was back in his own camp, back home! Slowly, he felt relief and joy spreading through him. He was back! He leapt out, running outside to look around the territory. In the back of his mind, he knew that he didn't know how long he'd been with the spirits, but just now, it didn't matter.

He was preoccupied enough that he didn't notice the young cat on the territory until he was almost on top of him. Suddenly stopping, he realized that the cat was Tiny. The real Tiny, not the thing he'd seen last night! Tiny looked up at him nervously. "I'm sorry," he said, stepping back. "It's just that-"

Tigerstar interrupted him. "What day is it?" he asked, trying not to sound threatening.

"What?" Tiny asked, looking bewildered.

"What day is it?"

"Well, it's Christmas, I think," Tiny said. Tigerstar felt another burst of relief. He hadn't missed it, the spirits had done it all in one night! _Well, of course, _he thought, _they can do anything they want!_

The plan formed instantly in his mind. Remembering the previous day, he said, "Do you know that group of cats on the moor?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tiny said, clearly wondering what was going on. "Why?"

"Go over to them, tell them that we need herbs, and we'll accept the trade, on the border at sunhigh. Do it and I'll make sure you get enough medicine for both your littermates!"

"Really?" Tiny asked, looking happy again.

"I don't joke," Tigerstar said. "Hurry!"

Tiny shot off across the territory, obviously excited. Tigerstar turned and headed back across Thunderclan territory. If he was lucky, he wouldn't be late...

XXXX

Tigerstar ran over to the abandoned twoleg nest. Inside, he could hear the sounds of cats. A little nervous, he walked in. Inside, he headed towards where the voices were.

Inside, he heard Brambleclaw's voice. "Anybody want to play 20 Questions?" Tigerstar suddenly realized what was happening, as several cats cheered. He walked in, as Brambleclaw started. "Right, I've got a good one, I'll-"

He stopped as he noticed Tigerstar walking in. Several of the cats turned to see what he was looking at. He walked over to where his uncle was. Tigerstar spoke first. "Do you mind if I come in?" he asked.

For a second, Brambleclaw just looked stunned. But then, his face slowly let a smile spread across it. "Are you mouse-brained? Of course you can! Get in here!"

XXXX

A little bit later, Tigerstar was leaving. "Are you sure you won't stay a little longer?" Brambleclaw asked.

"Sorry, I can't, I have to be somewhere else right now," Tigerstar said.

"Well, don't let me hold you up," Brambleclaw said, turning back in.

Tigerstar ran towards the border with Windclan. Crowfeather was standing there, and Tiny was standing beside him. Tigerstar headed towards them.

"So, is it true?" Crowfeather asked. "You want to accept the trade?"

"Yes," Tigerstar said. "One of our apprentices is seriously sick. We need some herbs to treat him, and you need fresh-kill. Can you help us?"

"Yes," Crowfeather said. "Thank you."

A little bit after that, Crowfeather went back to his own territory, having agreed to meet with Tigerstar the next day. Tigerstar turned his attention to Tiny. "I promised you some herbs, didn't I?" he asked. He headed towards his camp, motioning for Tiny to follow.

XXXX

Having gotten everything else he could think of out of the way, he headed over towards the horseplace. As he entered, he did his best to look like he usually did when talking to Fireheart.

As he walked in, he saw the family standing around. They turned when Tigerstar entered. Fireheart walked forward, looking a little nervous. "Yes, Tigerstar?"

"What's this, Fireheart?"

"Well, you gave the clan half of today off."

"Quiet," Tigerstar said. "I've been more tolerant than I should have been of all this. And therefore..." he paused for effect, "I've made sure that Lionpaw will be cured."

"What?" Fireheart asked, confused.

"Your kit's going to survive," Tigerstar said. "I made a trade with Windclan: fresh-kill for the necessary herbs."

"You are Tigerstar, aren't you?" Fireheart asked, looking at him in amazement.

"Trust me, I am," Tigerstar said, looking at him.

XXXX

In the years that followed, Tigerstar followed through on his promise to the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. It was always said that he knew how to really celebrate the holiday. He eventually became a close friend of Fireheart's family. To Lionpaw- who didn't die- he became like a second father, or an uncle. Even Jaypaw was grateful to him for saving his brother. Tigerstar would sometimes remember his old mentor, Thistleclaw, and thank him for giving him the chance for redemption.

The End

And that's the end. If you have any constructive criticism to give, it's welcome. Flames are bad, though. Please R&R. Gamer4 out.


End file.
